


Trips to the Cabin (and the naked stranger in the lake)

by waitineedaname



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Jonas Noah Vasquez is a Good Friend, M/M, Slow Burn, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-20 11:23:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11334711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waitineedaname/pseuds/waitineedaname
Summary: For Isak, the cabin was a place to go when he needed to get away from it all. No girls trying to shove their tongues down his throat, no boys making his chest hurt. Just him getting some alone time, with no one around for miles.Imagine his surprise when he walked out onto the dock one morning to discover a man standing in the lake, naked as the day he was born.





	1. Naked Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> The fic will no longer be updating here! I've reposted it with the same title and everything in the hopes that that will fix the glitch that's prevented it from being in the tags. All further chapters and updates will be found there!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, entering a new fandom: okay, but what if werewolves
> 
> This is inspired by a writing prompt I found on tumblr that said “when I saw you climbing out of the stream I was fishing in dirty, wet, and naked, I assumed you had just survived some kind of intense mob hit or something but really you had just detransformed from a werewolf after you were playing in the water trying to catch a fish, and ultimately failing. nice ass, by the way.” I took it, played with it a little, and now it turned into this.
> 
> This is loosely set in season two. He's not dating Sara, Even's still at Bakka, and Isak, Jonas, and Eva are all friends again.

Technically, Isak had zero claim to the cabin. It was under Eva’s mom’s name, so she was the only one who was supposed to spend her weekends there, but he - and Jonas too - had mended their friendships with her to the point where that rule was pretty loose. It was a general agreement between the three of them that if they ever needed some time away from home, they could go to the cabin. For Eva and Jonas, that tended to mean a weekend away with whoever they were hooking up with at the time. For Isak, it was usually to escape exactly that.

See, Isak was still pretty deep in the closet. At some level, he knew he’d be fine if he came out. Oslo was pretty accepting and he wasn’t in any danger for being gay. But… He just wasn’t ready. He wasn’t even sure if he’d come to terms with it with himself, if he was being honest.

So when it all got to be too much, he’d head to the cabin and get some fresh air - both figuratively and literally. The location was out of the way from most vacationers and there weren’t any neighbors for miles. No girls shoving their tongues down his throat, and no guys making his chest hurt. He could just have time to himself. No people, no interruptions, just him.

Imagine his surprise when he walked out onto the dock one morning to discover a man standing in the lake, naked as the day he was born.

He was tall and slender and looked to be around Isak’s age, maybe a little older. He didn’t seem to notice him at first, mostly just looking around in vague confusion and frustration. Isak stared at him in dumb shock until their eyes finally met. 

The naked stranger visibly tensed and it looked like he was struggling to chose between flight or fight. He decided on the middle option and stood up straighter, feigning confidence.

“Hello! I’m not trespassing, am I?” He gestured vaguely at the lake. “I thought I might go for a morning swim.”

“Uh… No, no you’re fine.” Isak continued to stare at him in bewilderment. 

“Ah. Good.” The man looked at down at himself and then back up at Isak, smiling a bit. “I, um… I can’t remember where I put my clothes. Do you have a towel I could use…?”

Isak opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again, then closed it. It took several tries before he managed to nod a bit and speak. “Yeah, come on in.”

This was probably a bad idea. No, this was definitely a bad idea. He didn’t know who this guy was. He could be a serial killer for all Isak knew. Maybe he did this a lot, going around to different lakes naked and convincing unsuspecting teenage boys that he needed a towel so he could get into their homes and kill them. Even if that wasn’t that case, it was still a little unwise to invite in a complete stranger that made a hobby out of swimming in the nude in a freezing mountain lake. No one who did that could be normal. But… He seemed nice enough. It wouldn’t hurt to give the guy a hand.

Once inside, the naked stranger took the towel gratefully. Isak pointedly avoided looking at him as he dried off, instead opting to rifle through the clothes he’d brought and find something that might fit the guy. The naked stranger - now standing in the living room with a towel around his waist, thank god, and shaking water out of his hair - looked surprised when Isak tossed the clothes at him.

“I thought you probably didn’t want to be standing around in a towel.” Isak said, attempting to explain. 

“Thank you.” The boy smiled at him and turned to the side a little to untie his towel. Isak quickly looked away. “Not many people would invite a naked stranger into their house and literally give them the clothes off their back.”

Isak looked over to find him grinning back at him, buttoning his jeans. He glanced down and fought a snort when he realized the jeans that fit his own very long legs were like highwaters on the other man. “Yeah, well, you’re not naked anymore, are you?” 

“Good point.” He conceded with a laugh. He tugged the shirt down over his head, then walked over to Isak, outstretching a hand. “My name’s Even.”

“Isak.” He answered, shaking his hand briefly. Even squeezed his hand, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

“Now we’re not strangers, yeah?”

“I guess we’re not.”

Even nodded, an unreadable glint in his eyes as he looked around. “It’s lunchtime, right? How about I make us lunch. As thanks for the clothes.”

-

Part of the cabin sharing agreement was that whoever was staying in the cabin had to bring food to stock the place. You never knew how long it might be before something would spoil and everyone had their own food tastes. But the thing was, Isak was lazy. He didn't feel like going to the grocery store and getting himself food for the weekend. There was probably stuff left over from last time, right?

Wrong. The only things in the entire kitchen were as follows: a loaf of bread, cheese that was almost at its expiration date, a strange amount of spices - Eva, why? - and a ziploc bag of weed Jonas had hidden not so subtly in the corner of one of the cabinets.

Which was why the two of them were now sitting in the middle of the living room floor, stoned off their asses and eating the most disgusting cheese toasties Isak had ever tasted.

“Why did we put every single spice on these things?” He complained through a mouthful of food. “This is horrible.”

“You know, I think it’s so bad, it’s almost good,” mused Even, staring at his toast like it was a puzzle to be figured out.

“No!” Isak yelled, despite laughing giddily. “It just goes to a new level of bad!”

Even laughed, his eyes crinkling in the cutest way. Isak swallowed the lump that emerged in his throat at the sight - god, why did this random stranger have to be so perfect looking? - and couldn’t stop himself from laughing with him. He couldn’t help it; he’d only known this guy for a couple hours, but he felt so comfortable just sitting with him, laughing about stupid shit, sharing the same joint and eating disgusting cheese toast.

He didn’t even realize how long they’d been lounging there, laughing and talking, until the sun started to dip behind the horizon and he began to have trouble seeing Even in the shadows. Even’s smile faded with the light and he started to shift uncomfortably. 

“I should get going. I've been here too long.” He mumbled, starting to get up. 

“You can stay the night!” Isak protested before he could think about what he was saying. “I mean- There's a spare bedroom and if you live far away…”

Even gave him an indecipherable look as he trailed off, then smiled softly. “Thanks, but I really should be going.”

And without another word, he left.

-

It was another month before Isak managed to get to the cabin again. Every time he thought about asking to have it to himself for another weekend, Eva or Jonas would mention that they planned to be there and he would drop it.

It was probably for the best, though. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t get that Even guy out of his head. His big smile, the way he pushed his hair back from his eyes, even the fact that he’d left the clothes Isak had lended him folded gently on the porch the morning after he left. It all ran over and over in Isak’s head, making his thoughts more muddled and his chest more tight. When he finally did get to the cabin, he wasn’t sure if the chance of Even reappearing would be a curse or a blessing.

It was both, he decided when he walked out to the dock to yet again find him buck naked in the middle of the lake. 

“Hello!” Even called out with a big grin. The fear he’d had in their first encounter was gone. “You wouldn’t happen to have any spare clothes again, would you?”

Okay, so maybe Isak had intentionally brought some clothes that were the tiniest bit too big on him. And maybe he’d nagged Jonas into giving him some weed and maybe he’d actually bought some food for once. That definitely had nothing to do with his hopes that Even would show up again. Nope, not a chance.

They passed the day just like they had the first time: sprawled on the floor and stoned off their asses. It was strange, but Isak felt as if he'd known him his whole life, even though he didn't even know how old he was.

“What school do you go to?” Isak asked after pondering this for a while. “You do go to school, right? I haven't seen you before.”

Even let out a puff of smoke and nodded, handing the blunt to him. “Yeah, Bakka. Third year. You?”

“I'm a first year at Nissen.” Even’s entire face lit up with delight.

“You're in Oslo too! How have we not met each other before?”

 _Because I'm a hermit. Because I play FIFA more than I go to parties. Because for some fucking reason the universe decided the best way for me to meet you was when you were completely naked._ “I dunno, maybe I just tend to avoid you weirdos at Bakka.” He answered, kicking him teasingly and grinning when Even gasped in exaggerated offense.

“Oh, we’re the weirdos? Isn’t Nissen the school that had the massive chlamydia outbreak?”

“Maybe, I dunno. I don’t have chlamydia.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Even winked and Isak’s brain shorted out.

“What? What does that mean?” 

As was seeming to become routine for him, Even changed the subject before Isak could drill him for answers. “I’m gonna make some popcorn. You’ve got Netflix, right?” He didn’t even wait for Isak’s confused nod before hopping to his feet and going to the kitchen. By the time he was back, it had been too long for Isak to think about asking again, so he just sighed inwardly and resigned himself to watching the cheesy film Even had typed into the searchbar. 

It wasn’t that bad, in the end. Even gave him a running commentary in hushed tones the whole time, and it seemed like he had the whole film memorized. Sitting next to someone that wrapped up in it all, you couldn’t blame him for getting invested by the end.

“Aw, Isak,” Even cooed and nudged him gently. “Are you crying?”

“No! Fuck you!” Isak frantically rubbed at his face.

Even laughed and was already searching for something new. “Okay, we’ll watch something happy this time.”

That next movie turned into four more movies and before they knew it, dusk was falling. Isak had hoped that this time, Even would stay; he’d only just managed to subtly cuddle into Even’s side without it seeming too much like cuddling, and damn if he didn’t want to move. But luck didn’t seem to be on his side and Even started to look tense again, so Isak took the next best option.

“Can I get your number?”

Even blinked and his sudden smile made Isak temporarily forget that the sun had gone down. “Yeah! Give me your phone, I’ll put it in.” His smile didn’t fade as he typed it in, and there seemed to be an added bounce in his step as Isak followed him to the door. “You’ll call me, right?” He asked from the porch.

“No, I asked for your number just to fuck with you.” Isak rolled his eyes, despite grinning just as foolishly as Even. “Now I can know when to bring extra clothes for the weird streaker that keeps showing up in the lake.”

Even laughed and stepped off the porch. “I’ll try to remember my clothes next time.” He paused then and maybe it was the dim light tricking him, but the look in Even’s eyes made it seem as though he wanted to linger a little longer. But then the moment was gone and he raised a hand in goodbye.

Isak did his best to sleep that night without overanalyzing the heart and star emojis Even had left by his contact name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk why I decided to write a multichaptered fic when I know my attention span prefers oneshots, but here we are. I have the second chapter written and it'll be posted when I finish writing the third!


	2. Maybe

“Okay, I can’t hold it in anymore. I have to ask.”

“What?”

“What,” said Even, pointing his finger across the room, “the fuck is that.”

Isak followed his finger and drew his eyebrows together. He was pointing at some weird figurine placed on the mantle, carved out of soft stone into the shape of some unidentifiable animal. “I... have no fucking clue. What _is_ that?”

“You don’t know? This is your cabin, and you have no idea what the decorations are?” Everything Even said, he said with a laugh. It never failed to tug a grin out of Isak’s face.

“This isn’t my cabin, I don’t know. It’s probably some weird shit Eva’s mom put up there.” The look Even gave him was priceless.

“This isn’t your cabin? What the fuck, Isak! You’ve had me over the past three weekends and you just forget to mention that this place isn’t yours? Are you even supposed to be here? Are we trespassers?”

“What? No! It’s a friend’s, she lets me stay here.”

“Every weekend? Doesn’t she think that’s weird? Does she know you’re inviting in random strangers from the lake?” Even teased. Isak only shrugged. If Eva thought it was weird that he’d asked to stay here for three weeks in a row, she hadn’t said anything. He had a sneaking suspicion both she and Jonas thought he’d finally gotten a girlfriend and was bringing her over every weekend. He hadn’t bothered to correct them. They weren’t entirely wrong; Even definitely wasn’t a girlfriend, and they weren’t dating, but Isak would be lying if he said he didn’t wish that could change. Even was kind and good looking and talking to him made Isak feel warm. But… what they had was nice. After two weeks of texting and three weekends of lounging at the cabin, he could say with some certainty that they were friends. He didn’t want to risk ruining that with a confession.

“Well, what about you?” Isak asked after realizing Even expected a response. “Don’t your parents think it’s weird that you’ve been going to a stranger’s cabin?”

Even shrugged. “They just think I’m hanging out with friends, or I’m with Sonja.” A sick feeling started solidifying in Isak’s stomach and his voice sounded hollow as he repeated the name.

“Sonja?”

“Yeah, my girlfriend. It’s obviously the first option, though. Just not a friend they know.” Even grinned as if he hadn’t just sent Isak’s world crashing down around him.

“Yeah.” Isak said after a moment, swallowing thickly and forcing a smile. “Obviously.”

-

Even never stayed the night. He always made some excuse as to why he had to leave before it got too dark, and Isak didn’t stop him. He doubted he could continue to pretend his feelings for Even were purely platonic if he ended up staying the night. 

It was four weeks after they’d started texting. Even was especially anxious to get home - some curfew problem with his parents, or something - and he’d left the moment the light had started to get dim. That was hours earlier, and Isak had just started to drift off when a sharp howl pierced through the woods.

Isak jolted upright, throat tight with sudden anxiety. He was safe where he was, he knew that, but Even - Even had to walk through the woods to get to the nearest bus stop. What if he got hurt? What if for some reason, a wolf attacked him? Isak didn’t know there were wolves in the wood, he would’ve warned him if he knew.

Stricken with worry for him, he grabbed his phone and opened his chat with Even.

_**Hey, just heard wolves outside. Stay safe, okay?** _

He stared at his phone. Ten minutes passed and there was nothing. No response, no typing bubble, no read receipt. He told himself that it was late at night, that Even was probably fast asleep and not on his phone. But that didn’t keep him from anxiously staring at his phone and waiting for an answer until his exhaustion finally got the better of him and he fell asleep.

He woke to a soft buzz when light just started filtering in through the windows.

_**I’m safe, don’t worry. Thank you <3** _

Isak smiled - just a tiny bit - and fell back asleep with that heart running circles in his mind.

\- 

“So you’re telling me you come here almost every weekend, and you’ve never gone swimming?”

“It’s fucking freezing, Even! I don’t have a death wish!”

“How do you know it’s freezing if you’ve never gone swimming in it?” Even challenged and a grin spread across his face. “I bet you can’t even swim.”

Isak gasped, taking an offended step back. They’d been standing on the dock, competing to see who could throw rocks farther into the lake. When they ran out of rocks to throw, the conversation quickly dissolved into an argument over whether they should swim out and collect more throwing stones. 

“Me? I’m the best swimmer, how dare you!”

“Are you really?” Even’s eyes were bright with amusement and Isak found it difficult to keep up the act without smiling back at him.

“Yeah! Michael Phelps is nothing next to me! You’re probably the one who can’t swim and you’re just trying to distract me.”

“Isak, we literally met when I was swimming!”

“No, you were just standing there in the lake! For all I know, you could’ve just been walking around pretending to swim!” His grin was impossible to hide now. Even bounced his eyebrows just a bit.

“Okay, let’s prove it. Right now.” He nodded at the water. “We race and the person who gets the farthest is the winner.”

Too far gone to damage his pride now, Isak puffed out his chest. “Deal.”

And so there they were, both stripped down to their boxers - Isak very pointedly looking away - and poised to jump off the dock. Even counted them off and Isak only had a split second to regret his decision before they both launched themselves into the water.

Isak hadn't been completely lying. Yeah, okay, he definitely wasn’t anywhere close to Michael Phelps’s level, but he could hold his own. He kicked as hard as he could, propelling himself forward. His eyes were tightly shut - who knows what was in that water - but after a few seconds he could swear that Even’s splashing was slowing, and after a few seconds more, they seemed to be gone entirely.

Isak was just about to stop and declare his victory when a hand clamped down over his ankle. Isak started to scream in surprise, then realized that was a terrible idea as water began to flood into his mouth. The hand quickly let go and Isak went to the surface immediately, coughing and spluttering. When he finally got his bearings, he opened his eyes to find Even treading water in front of him, eyes twinkling playfully.

“Are you okay?” He asked, his tone sincere despite the amused look on his face.

“What the fuck was that for?” Isak yelled. He was fine, of course, but fuck, that was embarrassing.

Even didn’t answer. Instead, he swam closer until there were just inches between them. He leaned in close and Isak’s breath hitched. Even’s eyes were so piercing that Isak felt that he could see right through him, that he could see all his secrets. They flicked down and he licked his lips. Everything seemed to slow down. Maybe- Maybe Isak wasn’t the only one who’d been crushing the past few weeks. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who’d been craving the feeling of the other’s lips on his own. Maybe- Maybe-

Before Isak could react, Even lifted his hand out of the water and poked Isak’s nose. “I win.”

Isak blinked, then bristled with rage. “What?! You fucking cheater!”

Even laughed and pushed away, swimming backwards. “There are no rules here, Isak!”

“Yes there are! Rule number one: no drowning your competitor!” He yelled, despite laughing himself as he swam after him. 

“You should’ve made that clear before we started then! Can’t hold it against me if I didn’t know!” 

“It’s just common sense!”

They went on like that for hours, chasing each other and making new competitions and laughing and arguing playfully. It was almost enough to make Isak forget that moment when he thought maybe, just maybe…

But not really enough, because when they finally dragged themselves out of the water, Even squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him in a way that made Isak feel like he was still floating, and he knew for certain that that moment was going to haunt him forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming soon! I'd love feedback <3


	3. Universes

“Dude, you suck at this game.”

It was a Sunday and one of the first weekends in a long time that Isak hadn’t been at the cabin. Isak had wanted to, of course, but Even had said he couldn’t; his friend was having a birthday and he couldn’t make it. Which was why Isak was sitting on Jonas’s floor, losing horribly at Fifa because he couldn’t help but glance down every five seconds in the hopes that Even might have texted him.

“I’m just having an off day!” Isak halfheartedly yelled, dropping the controller onto his lap when he lost for the fourth time in a row. “Normally I’d be kicking your ass. I’m just out of it right now.”

Jonas eyed him and went to the main menu. “Yeah, I noticed. You wanna talk about it?” He leaned back and spoke again when he noticed Isak needed prompting. “How’s, uh… How’s your mom doing?”

Isak both loved and hated how well Jonas could read him. He honestly didn’t know why he tried to hide it when he was upset, because Jonas always caught him. He never pushed, though, and Isak appreciated that. There was always the unspoken agreement that if Isak didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t have to. And if he did want to talk, Jonas was a quiet and accepting ear.

“She’s good.” He answered initially, then corrected himself. “She’s _better._ Not good, I guess, just… not as bad. She’s going to therapy now, hopefully it’ll help.” He was quiet a moment, then added, “Dad probably won’t be back soon.”

Jonas started to nod sagely, and Isak shook himself out of it. “That’s not why I’m in a weird mood though.” Jonas raised a single large eyebrow and Isak fidgeted a bit. “I… met someone. Someone I like.”

The other eyebrow joined its partner in the middle of Jonas’s forehead and he grinned. “Yeah? Shit, congrats man. Do I know her?”

Oh. Oh yeah. Isak had forgotten about that tiny detail. Isak was fine having this conversation with Jonas, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready for _that_ conversation. Time for a few white lies. “Uh, no, I don’t think so. She goes to Bakka.”

That only made Jonas grin wider. “I thought you hated the art nerds at Bakka.”

“Yeah, well, maybe they’re not that bad.” Isak attempted to shrug casually despite the tiny smile on his face. His smile faded as he remembered why they were talking about this in the first place. “But… She has a boyfriend. And I don’t know if she likes me back. I don’t even think I’m her type.” He added bitterly.

There was that wise nod from Jonas again, that nod he always gave him as he digested new information and crafted the best response he could. “It’s good with her right now, right?” When Isak gave him a half nod, half shrug, he continued. “I think you should just enjoy what you have with her. Whatever it is you have. And if it gets too hard, then be honest with her. Tell her how you feel. In the end, it’s her decision to leave her boyfriend or not.”

Isak let out a breath and nodded. “Yeah… Yeah, I know. Thanks man.”

“Don’t mention it.” Jonas clapped him on the shoulder, hit ‘new game’ on the xbox. “Ready to go back to losing?”

For the first time all day, Isak grinned and hunkered down with the controller in his hands. “Don't get too used to it!”

-

“So, what do you like?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, what are you interested in? What’s your thing? You’ve put up with me talking about film pretty much nonstop, but I don’t peg you as a film nerd.”

“No,” Isak laughed a little, laying his head back. “No, I’m not a film nerd.”

Even had convinced him to go hiking with him, just a little ways away to a hill that poked out of the trees. The grass was lush and they’d flopped down in it without hesitation. It was nice up there, above it all. Peaceful. Romantic, almost. Under the warmth of the midday sun, that thought didn’t hurt as much as it would normally.

“I’m really into science.” Isak answered after some deliberation. “All kinds. The physical sciences like biology, chemistry, but also the theoretical ones.”

“Like what?” When Isak glanced over, he found all of Even’s attention on him. He had rolled onto his side and he was giving him a soft smile that told Isak no, he wasn’t just humoring him, he genuinely wanted to know more. So Isak kept going, when he’d normally trail off and shrug.

“Like the parallel universes theory, for example.” Isak rolled onto his side to face him. “There’s a universe out there where anything has happened. Each little choice you make means there’s another universe created. Like, when you’re getting dressed and you choose to wear a white shirt, there’s another universe where you put on a blue shirt, or a red shirt, or something. And the possibilities are infinite. There’s a universe where you found your clothes that first day and we never hung out. Or maybe I was the one swimming and this was your cabin. Or one where you go to Nissen, or I go to Bakka, and we met at school. Or a universe where we never met at all.”

Even shifted a little bit, moving the tiniest bit closer so their noses were almost touching. “I don’t like that universe.”

“No?” Isak’s breath caught in his throat as he said it.

“No. I think in every universe, we meet. Some way or another.” He smiled that tiny smile again, his eyes crinkling tenderly. 

“I think,” Isak started after a few quiet seconds, licking his lips nervously, “I think that out of all the universes, I’m glad I’m in this one. With you.”

Even shifted again, touching the toes of their sneakers together. “Me too.”

It was so quiet, so peaceful. Isak felt like he could lay there forever, close enough to feel Even’s breath blow against the grass, making them brush against Isak’s nose. Under the warm afternoon sun, alone with Even, Isak felt as though everything was right with the world.

-

But of course, they couldn’t lay there forever. Reality had to kick in at some point, and it did so in the form of Even’s phone buzzing and ringing. The moment shattered, he rolled onto his back and sat up, pulling it out of his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and grimaced briefly before answering. 

“Yeah? No, I’m just out with a friend.” Isak sat up and tried to squash down the disappointment he was sure was visible on his face. “I’ll be coming back tonight! Wh- That early? You don’t trust me to be responsible?” Even’s voice, usually so warm and gentle, was sharp and annoyed. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll head back now.”

He ended the call with a huff and ran a frustrated hand through his hair before getting to his feet. “That was Sonja. She wants me home.”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course, I get it.” Isak shrugged in a way he hoped was nonchalant. His eyes were fixed on the ground where he was picking out strands of grass one by one. “Go be with your girlfriend.” 

In his peripheral vision, he saw Even shift his weight on his feet. He didn’t look up.

“I’ll see you later, Isak. This was nice.” Isak didn’t answer. Slowly, the feet walked away and left his vision.

And Isak was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of angst coming soon!! Don't worry, I don't have the heart to make them too unhappy. Chapter four should be on the way soon!


End file.
